Matthew 16:21–28
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!1 This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance2 to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life3 will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
1 Or “[May God be] merciful to you, Lord!” 2 Greek stumbling block 3 The same Greek word can mean either soul or life, depending on the context; twice in this verse and twice in verse 26
Section Overview
In Matthew 16:13–20, Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus blessed Peter’s statement, then forbade the disciples from telling anyone. In verses 21–28, we learn why: Peter has no proper notion of the Messiah’s life. Therefore, “from that time,” Jesus begins to define his messianic role. In verses 21–23, Jesus reveals that he must go to Jerusalem to be slain. Peter rebukes Jesus for this, but Jesus replies that Peter must prepare to follow him to death as well. In verses 24–28, Jesus teaches that a disciple’s life must conform to his.
The opening phrase “From that time, Jesus began . . .” appears twice in the NT, here and at 4:17. These occurrences may delineate two phases of Jesus’ ministry, proclaiming the kingdom from 4:17 to 16:20 and explaining his death and resurrection from 16:21 to 28:20.
Section Outline
VI.K. Jesus Explains His Messianic Work (16:21–28)
1. The Necessity of the Cross (16:21–23)
2. The Cross and Discipleship (16:24–28)
When Jesus predicts his death in Jerusalem at the hand of Israel’s leaders (16:21), Peter rebukes Jesus, saying essentially, “That cannot happen” (v. 22). Jesus corrects Peter (v. 23), then describes discipleship (vv. 24–26). To follow Jesus is to deny oneself and accept a death like his. Those who lose life in this way gain it. Further, Jesus will reward everyone according to their deeds. This reward may come sooner than his hearers expect (vv. 27–28).
Response
Matthew 16:21–28 reveals that Jesus’ death and resurrection are essential to the plan of redemption. The entire NT agrees. The angels at the empty tomb state, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:7). At Pentecost, Peter notes that Jesus died and rose “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). Hebrews says that Jesus “offered himself without blemish to God” to “purify” believers and liberate them “to serve the living God” (Heb. 9:14; cf. also Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:7; 2:13; Heb. 10:19; 13:20; 1 Pet. 1:2; 1 John 1:7).
The passage also sheds light on discipleship. Peter (painfully) shows how someone can be a disciple and yet wracked with ignorance and misguided confidence. Disciples can be so right one moment and so wrong the next. To avoid that mistake, we should be “quick to hear, slow to speak,” and eager to set our minds on “the things of God” (James 1:19; Matt. 16:23). Disciples can be remarkably dull for a season, yet Jesus perseveres with them. Eventually, Peter will embrace everything he rejects in chapter 16. He later writes of how “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Pet. 2:21 NIV). The cross of Christ is the centerpiece of “the things of God” (Matt. 16:23). There is no Christianity without the cross and the empty tomb. Christians may differ on many points, but not here.
It is possible for Christians to give thanks that Jesus died for sinners and yet to recoil from following him. Churches can be so intent on winning people that they dilute the hard sayings of Jesus and delete the call to sacrifice. Churches with staff, resources, and programs can treat visitors as customers, offering appealing services. Even if every program is excellent, such churches can adopt a consumerist approach, appealing to spiritual consumers. But we are soldiers of the cross.
Or “[May God be] merciful to you, Lord!”
Greek stumbling block
The same Greek word can mean either soul or life, depending on the context; twice in this verse and twice in verse 26
16:21–23 In verse 16, Peter confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter believes Jesus is the Messiah, God’s anointed deliverer, but as Jesus begins to explain how he delivers, we see how much Peter has to learn. First, Jesus says not that he will suffer but that he must suffer (v. 21). His suffering is essential, not accidental. Second, he will suffer in Jerusalem at the hands of Israel’s unified leadership: the elders, chief priests, and scribes (v. 21). The elders have age, experience, and reputation. The chief priests stand between the one high priest and the many ordinary priests. Scribes are professional experts in the content and application of the law. The Greek uses one definite article to govern all three because they govern together and will crucify Jesus together.
In verse 21, Jesus reveals four things that must happen. First, he must go to Jerusalem, the capital, the city of God. Second, he must suffer. Third, he must be killed. Matthew names the method, crucifixion, in 20:19 and 26:2. Jesus will not merely die; people will kill him. He will be put to death. Fourth, he will be raised on the third day. This is a divine passive; God is the agent.
Hearing this, Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes him. “Far be it from you” translates the terse Greek hileōs soi, literally “Mercy to you.” This could mean “May God mercifully spare you this fate” or “May God have mercy on you for saying this.” Parallels in the LXX indicate that the phrase probably means “May God never let that happen.” If so, Peter repeats himself when he says, “This shall never happen to you” (16:22). At the moment, the thought is repugnant to Peter, although he will learn to embrace it.
We see why Jesus ordered the disciples to silence about his identity in verse 20. Peter has erroneous notions about the Christ and is no submissive student. Peter called Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, yet he is so sure of himself that he yanks Jesus aside in verse 22 to tell him he is wrong. But Jesus delivers a counterrebuke: “Get behind me, Satan!” (v. 23). By opposing Jesus’ death, Peter has unwittingly joined with Satan, who also wants Jesus to disregard the Father’s plan. Peter thinks like Satan, and like “man,” rather than like God, and so hinders Jesus. “Hindrance” translates skandalon, either a stick that springs a trap or, more likely, a stumbling stone. As before, who Peter is depends on what Peter says. When he confesses Christ, he is a rock on which the church stands. When he rebukes Christ, he sides with Satan and becomes a stumbling stone.
16:24–28 The Greeks considered anyone crucified to be humiliated; the Romans saw the crucified as criminal and powerless; Jews viewed a crucified man as one cursed by God. But Jesus in verse 24 sees his suffering as a paradigm for “anyone” who would follow him. This verse has three commands: come, deny, and take up. Each is in the present tense, suggesting that disciples must heed them continually. After coming, a follower will “deny himself”—he will lay down the drive for possessions, for power, and for the favor of mankind. Further, a disciple will “take up his cross.” This is a call not merely to obey but to deny oneself by suffering when necessary.
As a whole, Matthew requires disciples to believe all that Jesus says, to obey all that Jesus commands, and to imitate (in ways that fit humanity) all that Jesus does. This is costly yet rewarding, and Jesus states four reasons for denying oneself and following him in verses 25–28.
First, no one can save his own life. Instead, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (v. 25). As a missionary who gave his life for the kingdom, Jim Elliot wrote in his journal in 1949, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Everyone dies. No one can preserve this mortal life. But those who die in Christ live with him forever. Second, there is no profit in gaining the world but losing one’s soul or life (v. 26). There is no profit that exceeds the value of life itself, and no purchase price one could pay to gain life. Life is the gift God gives to those who trust Jesus. Third, Jesus will return and repay “each person according to what he has done” (v. 27). This is not an offer of salvation by works but a promise that the Lord will forget no good deed, will leave no sacrifice unrewarded. Fourth, Jesus will return in glory (vv. 27–28).
Jesus adds, “There are some standing here who will not taste death” until the Son of Man comes in his kingdom. This cryptic saying seems, at first glance, to mean that Jesus expects this world to end within a generation. Such a conclusion, however, supposes that Jesus is completely wrong about the future. To be sure, his statement promises that something will happen within a generation or so that manifests Jesus’ reign. Two events, about a generation out, will manifest Jesus’ kingdom. First, the church will expand rapidly, both in Israel and among the Gentiles. Second, the Romans will bring judgment on Israel, as Jesus foretells. Both events fulfill verse 28.